1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector structure for electrically connecting electronic parts for testing the electronic parts, and more specifically to a connector structure for connecting an integrated circuit and an electronic circuit for testing the integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The connector structure of this type is utilized to connect an integrated circuit having a plurality of IC terminals with an electronic circuit having a plurality of electronic pads respectively paired with the IC terminals of the integrated circuit to test the electronic performances of the integrated circuit before it is put on the market. The word “an integrated circuit” refers here to, for example, a semiconductor chip wafer, a semiconductor integrated circuit chip, and a semiconductor integrated circuit chip package. In order to test the integrated circuit, IC terminals of the integrated circuit are to be electrically connected with the electronic pads of the electronic circuit, respectively.
One typical example of the conventional connector structure, hereinlater referred to as “a first conventional connector structure”, is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H06-11541. The fist conventional connector structure disclosed herein is exemplified and shown in FIG. 6 as comprising a sheet 733 for mounting a bump 731 of a semiconductor chip 732 thereon, a supporting portion 734 for supporting the semiconductor chip 732, an internal pad 735 electrically connected with the semiconductor chip 732 through the sheet 733, a board 738 equipped with a connecting pad 737 for electrically connecting the internal pad 735 with input/output terminals 736, a base socket 739 equipped with the input/output terminals 736, and an upper socket 744 for electrically insulating the semiconductor chip 732, wherein the sheet 733 is made of an anisotronic material which conducts electricity only with respect to a vertical direction D and the supporting portion 734 is fixed to the sheet 733. The first conventional connector structure thus constructed enables to repeatedly test various types of integrated circuit.
The first conventional connector structure, however, encounters a drawback that the first conventional connector structure is electrically conductive only with respect to the vertical direction D. This leads to the fact that the first conventional connector structure may not be able to test an integrated circuit complex in shape and diverse in structure, which is commonly used.
Conventional connector structures, in general, use contact pins and springs. The contact pins and springs are large units, thereby increasing the inductance and parasitic capacitance inherent in the conventional connector structure. Another example of the conventional connector structure, hereinlater referred to as “a second conventional connector structure”, disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H08-115777 aims at solving the problems of inductance and parasitic capacitance. The second conventional connector structure disclosed herein is exemplified and shown in FIG. 7 as comprising a print circuit board 811 having a plurality of conductive bodies 813 mounted thereon, a conductive rubber sheet 820 having a plurality of conductive wires 822 passing therethrough, and an electrode board 827 having a plurality of electrodes 831. The conductive wires 822 have first ends respectively contacted with the electrodes 831 and second ends respectively contacted with the conductive bodies 813.
The second conventional connector structure has another drawback that the second conventional connector structure is required to be held under a high pressure to ensure electric connection between the electrodes 831 and the conductive bodies 813 through the conductive wires 822. The present invention is made with a view to overcoming the previously mentioned drawbacks inherent in the conventional connector structure.